Improvement in process and apparatus for electroplating wire



W. WALLACE & L. L. SMITH. PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPLATING WIRE.

No. 189,533. Patented April 10, 1877.

UNITED PATENT Orrron.

WILLIAM WALLACE, OF ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT, AND LUTHER L. SMITH, PASSAIC,NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO WALLACE & SONS, OF ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPLATING WIRE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 189,533, dated April10, 1877; application tiled February 5, 1877.

To all whom itmay'coacem:

, for supporting and conveniently arranging the Be it known that we,'WILLIAM WALLACE,

wire on the said rotating device.

of Ansonia, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, andLUTHER L, SMITH, of Passaic, in'the county of Passaic and State of NewJersey, have invented a new Improvement in Process and Apparatus forElectroplating'Wire; and we do hereby declare the following, when takenin connection with the accompanying drawings'and the-lettersof reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in- I Figure l, a perspective viewof the frame and in Fig. 2,a section of the bHlE hyS hOWlHg the arrangement of the frame in thebath.

This invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for facilitatingand improving the electroplating of wire The usual method ofelectroplating wire has been to immerse coils or bundles of the same ina bath, subjecting them to an occasional change of position whiletherein, the object of such change being to facilitate the distributionor deposition of the coating on the wire.

In such method the convolutions of the coils or bundles will lie in soclose contact with each other while in the bath as to cause manyiniperfect and defective spots in the coil, perfect deposition dependingupon the freedom and equality with which all parts of the wire-surfacemay be exposed in the solution of the bath.

To overcome these difficulties is the object of this invention; and itconsists, first, in combining with the vessel containing the bath aslowly-revolving shaft or device, upon which the coil of wire may beplaced, and spread upon the shaft, so as to separate the severalconvolutions from each other, and the rotation of the shaft impart tothe wire so arranged a slow rotary movement within the bath, and whichmovement more or less changes the rel- :ative position of theconvolutions to each other, and so that all parts or the entire surfaceof the wire will be evenly exposed to the action of the bath; and,secondly, in a frame A represents the vessel containing the bath, acrosswhich the shaft B is arranged in suitable bearings, and so as to allowits free revolution. To this shaft a slow revolution is imparted,preferably by means of a revolving worm working in a correspondingpinion on the shaft, as shown. Onto this shaft the coil of wire is hung,and spread upon the shaft, so that the convolutions rest thereon, and

practically separate from each other, as seen in Fig. 1. Therefore therotation of the shaft imparts to the coil of wire a very slow rotation,and in such rotation the wire passes through the bath, and is thereacted upon in the usual manner of electroplating-baths.

Preferably the shaft is arranged above the level of the bath, so thatthe wire is not entirely immersed therein; but it may be below the levelof the bath, and thus be always immersed.

This rotation of the coil and the contact of the convolutions with theshaft constantly changes the relative position of the severalconvolutions to each other, so that contact of one convolution withanother cannot hold for any considerable length of time. Hence thesurface of the Wire throughout is regularly and evenly exposed to theaction of the bath, and the most perfect result attained.

For conveniently arranging the wire upon the shaft, a frame is provided,(shown in Fig. 2,) in which the two ends a a are made circular in form,preferably as a ring, and in diameter substantially that of the coil ofwire. These heads or rings are distant from each other according to thelength of the frame required, and they are connected by two or morepairs of rods, b 0, one end of each pair connected to one ring and theother to the other ring, so as to support the rings at the requireddistance from each other, and in a plane substantially at right anglesto the axis of the frame. The one bar 0 of each pair is arrangedradially inside the other or outer bar 11, and so as to leave a narrowspace between the two. The inner rods 0 of these pairs form thesupporting frame or ribs of what may be termed the reel.

The coil of wire is placed upon the inner bars, the outer being removedfor the purpose, and spread or distributed along the surface, so thatthe wire lies in substantially single convolutions. The outer bar issecured over these convolutions of wire and, preferably, connections aremade between the two bars of each pair at intervals along their lengthto hold the wire, or prevent the convolutions working together, and tosecure their even distribution along the inner rods.

In this condition the frame and wire are hung on the shaft B, the tworings a a, resting thereon, and so that the revolution of the shaft willimpart a corresponding rotary movement to the frame, the frictionbetween the shaft and the ends being sufficient for this purpose.

This rotation of the frame has the same ef fect upon the wire as if hungupon the shaft independently, as first described, but with thisadvantage, that the connections which are made between the bars preventthe possibility of the convolutions working together, which they mightpossiby do in the first instance unless special attention was given toprevent it.

While it is preferred to suspend the frame on the shaft, as described,and the shaft to be above or near the top of the bath, it will beevident that the shaft may be below, and the frame or reel to rest onthe shaft. In this case suitable side supports would be necessary. Wetherefore do not wish to be understood as confining this invention tothe particular method described for imparting the rotary movement. Inany case it will be desirable that the shaft or revolving mechanism incontact with the frame shall be a part of the electric circuit.

We claim 1. The method herein described for electroplating coils ofwire, consisting in separating or distributing the convolutions formingthe coil in substantially an axial line with each other, and thensubjecting them to the action of the coating-bath during their gradualrotation, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described reel or frame, consisting of the two rings orheads, connected together by one or more pairs of longitudinal rods, theouter one of each pair being detachable from the end rings, and betweenwhich and the inner rods the wire to be plated is secured before placingin the bath, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with an electroplatingvessel and a frame for holdingthe coils of wire to be plated, a friction rotating axis, for impartinga rotary motion to the said frame, the combination being substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

WM. WALLACE. LUTHER L. SMITH.

Witnesses:

' W. H. K. GODFREY,

F. L. GAYLOBD.

